


Curiosity and Superstition

by shinealightonme



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-19
Updated: 2009-05-19
Packaged: 2017-10-03 19:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinealightonme/pseuds/shinealightonme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chekov notices something strange about Uhura.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curiosity and Superstition

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "Uhura and Chekov, good-luck charm." Originally posted [on LJ](http://shinealightonme.livejournal.com/41064.html).

Uhura was only wearing one earring.

"Lieutenant, I think you lost something." Chekov pointed helpfully to the empty hole on her left ear, and she frowned and raised her hand halfway before halting, dropping it back to her side without making contact.

"That's all right," she said, her eyes widening a little. She didn't seem surprised. "I've only got this one."

"Where is the other?"

"It was stolen," she answered, but shook her head. "Well, not stolen exactly. I just never got it back."

"Then why do you wear that one?"

"I guess I like it that much." Her voice was soft but a little dangerous, and this conversation was clearly over.

She had many other earrings. Chekov hadn't paid them much attention before, but he did now, mentally cataloging them day after day as they appeared: dangling chains, silver hoops, green studs, extravagant wild things with feathers that she didn't wear on-duty; different shapes and kinds, but they all came in pairs. The lone earring, an amber-colored circle, hadn't looked particularly expensive, or even that nice compared to some of the others, and Chekov at a loss as to why she wore it at all; he chalked it up to one of those "female mysteries" the Captain had warned him about. Kirk had offered to instruct him in the ways of such things, but Chekov didn't think the Captain really knew as much about Uhura as he pretended he did, so he just ignored it, and eventually forgot about it.

It wasn't until they got into a tight spot while traveling through a reportedly empty sector of space that he thought of it again. On the second day of laying low, waiting for their unidentified adversaries to give up hunting for them, Uhura reported to the bridge wearing that same earring in her right ear. Several times during the day Chekov caught her reaching up to run her thumb over the circle, at least until Kirk noticed that his attention kept wandering from his post. Another day, the Captain might have been more forgiving, or at least more amused, but his temper was short after hours of sitting on the bridge doing _nothing_ but staying perfectly still. Chekov wasn't the only one he lashed out at.

A day on the bridge had never gone slower, and Chekov, glad to be getting out of there, left in a rush and didn't hang back to talk to his colleagues. That was a mistake; the night passed just as slowly as the day had, and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or annoyed when it was time, yet again, to report to his station.

Uhura was wearing that earring again. The curiosity was really getting to him by this point, but after his humiliation the day before, he kept his attention fixed on his post.

After a few hours, the last of the hostile fleet left the area, and a loud cheer rang out across the bridge and, Chekov suspected, across the other decks, once the Captain made the announcement that they were leaving. It wasn't long before they were able to contact Starfleet and tell them about the run-in, warn them of the potential threat. Kirk gave them all the rest of the day off to celebrate.

This time, Chekov waited for Uhura, earning himself a weird glance from Sulu, who eventually shrugged and went on without him. He fidgeted until she wrapped up some conversation with Spock and looked over, a little surprised to notice him.

"May I ask you a question?" was his best attempt at an explanation.

"You mean a second question?" she teased, before replying more seriously, "Sure. Walk with me?"

He nodded and followed after her. For some reason, it was harder than he'd thought to ask, so they walked for several moments without talking. She broke the silence first.

"You know, if you have a problem with something, you can tell me."

Chekov frowned a little, thoroughly thrown by her assumption, and then smiled suddenly at how incongruous it was. "No, I am fine," he assured her. "Everyone on the ship has been very helpful. I do not have a problem, I am just...curious about something."

She seemed relieved that it wasn't anything serious. "All right, shoot."

"Why do you wear that earring, even without the other?"

Uhura didn't answer right away. "How long have you been curious about this?" she asked warily.

"Only since yesterday."

"Good. I was a little worried you've been thinking about this since we left Earth."

"No, just for two days, now."

"We can't keep having you distracted like you were yesterday," Uhura mused, and Chekov squirmed a little with embarrassment at the memory. He stopped, though, when she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Between you and me?" she said in a low voice, and Chekov nodded vigorously, slightly awed at being trusted with a secret. "It's my good luck charm."

"Really?" He ducked his head. He hadn't meant to say that aloud; he was just surprised by her answer. His grandfather had once had an old coin hung on a chain that he claimed brought good fortune in his life, and he'd given it to Chekov, promising it would do the same for him; but that had been years ago, and he hadn't worn it since he was much younger. Uhura, he'd thought, was too levelheaded for childish ideas like that. "I am sorry, I didn't mean..."

She was laughing. "It's okay. I know it's silly." She brushed her fingers against the earring self-consciously. "But it's a habit."

"So the other one is not lucky?" he guessed.

"Maybe not. I think it used to be. My roommate had it," she explained. "A long time ago, she took it. She had a test she was worried about. She was joking about how she'd wear my earrings for luck since I always did well in that class. I thought she was just trying to steal my jewelry, you know?"

There must have been something in his expression, because she laughed. "Or maybe you don't, but that's why I only let her take one. I thought that way she would give it back to me when she was done with it. I didn't think she'd keep just one."

"But she did."

Uhura's smile became kind of sad. "Yeah. She did really well on the test and decided to hang onto it until the end of the year. I never got it back. I'm starting to think that this one might be the lucky one after all."


End file.
